Wetsuit Tech Archives - New Zealand Surf Journal

Watch: Solitude, From New Zealand’s Newest Wetsuit Brand

Derek MorrisonJune 30, 2020

by Derek MorrisonJune 30, 20200

Born of New Zealand, Coastlines Wetsuits, officially pulled up a chair at the global rubber buffet when they launched just a few short months ago. NZSJ discovered they have some heavy hitters on their team and their heart’s in the right place. A few months before the brand launched, former......

Boards Business Featured Gear Surf Shops Wetsuit Tech

Buy Local: Help Pump New Zealand’s Surf Industry

Derek MorrisonMay 28, 2020

by Derek MorrisonMay 28, 20200

The Covid-19 health crisis has taught New Zealanders a lot of things, but nothing has become clearer: we need to support local surf businesses. By supporting them we pump the vascular system of our very own New Zealand surf industry. And that reaches deep into the heart of our surf......

Business Environment Featured Gear Ideas Inspiration Surf Shops Wetsuit Tech

Sustainability And Innovation Key Drivers At Seventhwave Wetsuits

Derek MorrisonOctober 10, 2019October 11, 2019

by Derek MorrisonOctober 10, 2019October 11, 20190

Lying on a table in Seventhwave’s Ferrymead factory in Christchurch is a fluffy orange wetsuit that doesn’t look anything like the wetsuit manufacturer’s flagship Yamamoto suits. Sarah smiles, she lifts the wetsuit up and explains the prototype to me. “I haven’t surfed in this one yet,” she admits with a......

8.5

Featured Gear Reviews Wetsuit Tech

Review: 300 Surfs In Rip Curl’s New Heat Seeker … Here’s What Failed

Derek MorrisonSeptember 16, 2019September 16, 2019

by Derek MorrisonSeptember 16, 2019September 16, 20191

At the start of 2019 Rip Curl launched an all-new wetsuit aimed straight at the top end of the market and billed to incorporate technology that would change the wetsuit game forever. We got our hands on a Flashbomb Heat Seeker 4:3 and thrashed it to death. Here’s what we......

8.3

Environment Gear Ideas Reviews Wetsuit Tech

Review: Need Essentials Thermal 4:3 Steamer

Derek MorrisonAugust 13, 2019July 2, 2020

by Derek MorrisonAugust 13, 2019July 2, 20200

We were blown away by the value for money with our Need Essentials steamer produced by a company that prides itself on stripping away the costs of traditional surf wetsuit production. By minimising packaging, branding, expensive advertising campaigns and retail markups, Need Essentials is able to deliver a high-end adult......

8.5

Featured Gear Reviews Wetsuit Tech

Long-Term Test: O’Neill Hyperfreak 4:3 Zip Less Comp Wetsuit

Derek MorrisonAugust 7, 2019August 8, 2019

by Derek MorrisonAugust 7, 2019August 8, 20191

O’Neill has turned the technology dial right up with the material used in its Hyperfreak range and if this zip less 4:3 suit is anything to go by then they’re on to something. We’ve thrash tested ours for more than two years now. This is what we discovered … When......

8.5

Featured Gear Reviews Wetsuit Tech

Review: Quiksilver Highline Plus 2mm Hood

Derek MorrisonAugust 7, 2019August 8, 2019

by Derek MorrisonAugust 7, 2019August 8, 20190

Some of the design elements of the Quiksilver Highline Plus 2mm hood have tackled the biggest issues most surfers have with pulling on a hood for winter. These features stand the Highline Plus hood head-and shoulders above conventional hoods. In our experience, most of the hoods out there only do......

Business Gear Wetsuit Tech

Inside Seventhwave: The Kiwi Wetsuit Company On A Mission

Derek MorrisonSeptember 12, 2018March 1, 2019

by Derek MorrisonSeptember 12, 2018March 1, 20192

When it comes to the New Zealand surf industry there are very few long-lived brands and manufacturers beyond our cornerstone surfboard shapers. So it was a real privilege to meet Paul Zarifeh and his team at the Seventhwave Wetsuits factory in Christchurch back in the depths of winter in 2015.......